1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates, in general, to surgical apparatus and, more specifically, to surgical ventilating apparatus, such as tracheal tubes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A commonly used device in the medical field is a tracheal tube which is particularly useful during surgical procedures for maintaining control over the patient's breathing. Commonly, tracheal tubes are manufactured from resilient type materials which automatically conform in shape and curvature to the body requirements.
As is well known, present day tracheal tubes are inserted through the patient's mouth and beyond, into the lower portions of the trachea. The outer end of the tube is connected to suitable medical apparatus, such as a suction device for aspirating the trachea, a source of anesthesia or the like.
Although such tracheal tubes function effectively to permit controlled respiration of the patient, recent surgical advances, such as microlaryngeal operations utilizing lasers, have posed problems for their continued effective use. In such laser surgical techniques, the heat generated by the high intensity laser beams quickly perforates or severs conventionally constructed tracheal tubes, rendering them useless and posing serious danger to the patient.
Efforts to construct tracheal tubes of material having a higher heat resistivity have met with little success. Tubes covered with aluminum foil tape and/or muslin wrappings present the danger of small portions becoming dislodged during surgery as well as being relatively complex and cumbersome to construct.
Further, most material having the necessary high heat resistivity is somewhat rigid which retards its safe use during insertion and removal from the patient's trachea.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a surgical ventilating apparatus which overcomes the problems of the prior art ventilating apparatus when used in surgical techniques using lasers, as well as bronchoscopy, or endoscopy techniques. It would also be desirable to provide a surgical ventilating apparatus which minimizes the danger to the patient during its use. It would also be desirable to provide a surgical ventilating apparatus which is simple to construct and which resists high intensity laser beams. Finally, it would be desirable to provide a surgical ventilating apparatus which is flexible so as to conform in shape and curvature to the patient's trachea.